IKEA in Italy Gives Stray Dogs Shelter From the Cold

An IKEA in Italy has some unusual tenants in their living room display – a group of stray dogs.

The dogs didn’t break into the store, rather they were invited. It turns out the store located in Catania, Italy, has opened its doors to help the homeless dog stay warm now that the cooler, winter weather has arrived.

One local shopper, Vittoria Taccia Gabrielli, put a video up on Facebook that her daughter filmed of one of the dogs lying on a cozy rug in the display. She wrote (roughly translated from Italian),

“A good initiative to shelter the strays while it’s raining outside … all this happens in the shopping center of IKEA (Catania), much to the amazement of many passersby. My daughter was so moved she sent me this video!”

She told the Dodo that she learned that IKEA’s employees and customers don’t ignore the dogs either. “The dogs receive daily food and pampering from IKEA’s employees and customers,” Taccia said. “Some dogs have even found a family, going home with customers.”

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The store’s policy is apparently not publicized. But customers are spreading the word anyway. Many are posting pictures to Instagram of the dogs enjoying a nap or relaxing in the store’s display.

Thanks to this IKEA, the dogs are getting to enjoy a little touch of the comforts of home. And maybe, as Taccia mentioned, more of the dogs will find forever families.

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